TAILOR

BEST BAITS: Blue pilchard, sea gar, lures.

The tailor season on the east coast of Australia is from July/ August through to October. Tailor are most plentiful from Fraser Island in the north to eastern Victoria in the south. Some tailor are caught in Western Australia in the summer and occasionally in South Australia.

These fish are very aggressive hunters and an excellent fighting fish. They also make a very tasty meal if the fish is bled on capture by breaking its neck. Tailor usually travel in schools but larger fish can be found as loners or in smaller schools. Boat fishermen can catch tailor in the open ocean, but around rocky headland and in ocean gutters, with plenty of white water on the outer edge are the most popular spots. Dusk or early morning on a rising tide make excellent conditions but tailor can be caught through the day as well.

Tailor feed ferociously on small bait fish. When tailor are "on the bite" it is important to get as many baits in the water as quickly as possible as this situation usually only lasts 1-2 hours. Just as quickly they will go "off the bite" for no apparent reason.

When tailor are biting, cast out and return your reel to fishing position as soon as the bait hits the water. Take up the slack and your bait will usually be hit quickly. lean and wind with constant pressure to prevent the fish discarding the hooks. Tailor will fight hard and sometimes the line will need to be released to ease the line pressure. However as soon as the fish slows, wind again and get it on the beach as soon as possible.

If the fish are not biting try a half pilchard instead of a whole one or try a spinner which sometimes will stir a fish into biting. If a location produces no bites do not stay long, move to the next most likely location and keep searching.

Most surf fishermen will choose the Alvey 650 A or C models but for some variation the geared side cast 650 GRC can often produce remarkable results. With its long casting distance ability your lure can reach right out to the back of a gutter. The rapid recovery rate moves the lure quickly through the water, often encouraging a good fish strike.

The splash of the lure hitting the water also arouses the interest of any fish so always get your reel into fishing position as soon as possible. (Recovery rate of 650GRC is 49" 125 cm per turn ) Gear ratio 2.5:1

Always cast into the white water or over it and wind back through it.